Kukla's Korner Hockey

There used to be a popular theory in NHL circles that too many Europeans spoil the Stanley Cup broth. Then, in the mid-1990s, Detroit coach Scotty Bowman began icing an entire unit of Russians.
Old-time hockey people scoffed.
When the Wings won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997-98, everybody stopped laughing and started following the blueprint.
"You can't win without (Europeans)," San Jose Sharks scout John Ferguson said.